1. Field of the Invention
The present disclosure relates to aircraft, and more particularly to tiltwing aircraft such as used in in vertical and/or short take-off and landing (V/STOL) applications.
2. Description of Related Art
Tiltrotor aircraft, such as the Bell-Boeing V-22 Osprey, include rotors which can be rotated from a vertical orientation for hovering to a horizontal orientation for forward flight. Similarly, tiltwing aircraft such as the Canadair CL-84 Dynavert include wings with rotors mounted thereto where the entire wing with engines and rotors rotates between the vertical and horizontal positions. Tiltrotor aircraft have an advantage over tiltwing aircraft in that the angle of attack of the stationary wing is advantageous when hovering in a cross-wind. Tiltwing aircraft have an advantage over tiltrotor aircraft in that having the wing always aligned with the rotors improves hover efficiency, whereas tiltrotor aircraft loose rotor efficiency in hover due to the prop wash being incident on the broad side of the wings. Both tiltwing and tiltrotor aircraft enjoy speed and range advantages over conventional helicopters, and still provide for hovering as well as vertical and/or short take-off and landing. Traditional tiltwing aircraft have a single wing member attached to the fuselage, wherein the wing member is hinged to the fuselage so the entire wing member, engines, and rotor assemblies rotate together relative to the fuselage to transition between forward flight and hover or V/STOL.
Such conventional methods and systems have generally been considered satisfactory for their intended purpose. However, there is still a need in the art for improved tiltwing aircraft. The present disclosure provides a solution for this need.